Coin-controlled bowling-alley.



. PATENTED NOV. 27, 1906.

R. H. HARTLEY. 00m CONTROLLED BOWLING ALLEY.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 29' 1904.

2' SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES PATENTED NOV. 27, 1906.

R. H. HARTLEY. COIN CONTROLLED BOWLING ALLEY.

APPLICATION I'ILEDJAN. 9 I 1904. v

2 SHEETS-$111131 2- w M sw INVENTOR ROBERT H. HARTLEY, OF PITTSBURG. PENNSYLVANIA.

COIN-CONTROLLED BOWLING-ALLEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 27, 1906.

Application filed January 29, 1904. Serial No. 191,136.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, ROBERT H. HARTLEY, of Pittsburg, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Coin- Controlled Bowling-Alley, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved apparatus. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly broken away. Fig. 3 is a partial vertical longitudinal section at the front end of the alley; and Figs. 4 and 5 are cross-sections on the line X X of Fig. 3, showing the lock and coin release device in different positions.

My invention relates to the class of bowlingalleys, and is designed to provide a coin-controlled bowling-alley in which the ball can only be obtained by dropping a coin in the machine. It is also designed to provide a bowling-alley wherein the bowler can reset the pins from the front end of the a paratus,

means being provided for insuring t e setting of the ins.

In the drawings, 2 represents the fioor of the alley proper, which may be providedwith side grooves 3 3, if desired. At the rear or pin end of the alley the floor is provided with holes beneath each pin, through which extend cords 4. Each cord is fastened at one end to the lower end of its pin, extends down through the hole covered by the pin, and thence over and along roller 5, its other end being secured to spiral spring 6. The ends of the springs 6 for the difierent cords are all secured to the cross-bar of a U-shaped lever 7, which extends below the return-trough 8 for the balls. This lever is pivoted at opposite sides, as shown at 9, and has an arm 10, connected by a flexible cord 1 1 with the handoperated lever 12 at the front end of the alley. A spiral spring 13 is connected to the arm 10, its other end being secured, to the frame. This spring 13 normally holds the lever 7 in retracted position, so that the strain on the cords is released after the pins are pulled to set position. The springs 6 serve to take up and compensate for stretching of the cords connected to the pins. Heretofore in such systems these cords would stretch and lengthen and prevent proper setting of the pins. These interposed s rings overcome this difficulty and insure t e proper setting of the pins.

At the rear end of the floor 2, beyond the pins, there is a transverse hole 14 through the floor, at the entrance of which hangs a flapper or valve 15. This flapper is hinged to t e overhead shield or cover 16 and is deflected backwardly by the ball, which then drops down through the port 14 and rolls back through the inclined chute 8.

In order to prevent access to the ball except when the coin is inserted, I provide at the front end of the chute 8 a vertical movable block 17, carrying the movable section 18 of the chute. A plate 19 is secured to the block, this plate having a projecting handle 20, which extends through a hole in the front plate 21 of the chamber 22. On the inside of the plate and above the chute 18 is rigidly secured a stop 23, having an inclined laterally-projecting arm 24. The plate 19 moves wlthin suitable side guides 25, and a swinging latch 26 is pivoted to the inner surface of the wall 21 and is pressed, by springarm 27, into the position shown in full lines in Fig. 4. In this position the lower arm of the latch will contact with the shoulder 23 of the stop and prevent the lifting of the slide to a point where the chute 18 will register with the hole in the front wall, so as to allow access to the ball.

The upper arm 28 of the latch is in front of the coin-chute 29. When a coin is dropped into the chute, it strikes the arm 28 and swings the lever into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, acting against the pressure of the light spring 27. In this new position of the latch 1ts lower arm will strike the incline 24 of the stop, thus allowing the slide to be raised to a point where the ball can be reached. As the slide is thus raised by the handle 20 the tilting of the latch releases the coin,which drops down into the chamber or a suitable receptacle therein. When the slide is lifted, the block 17 closes the end of the runway '8 and prevents the ball from being reached by wedging or holding up the slide while waiting for the ball to return. It will therefore be seen that after using the ball it can only be obtained for another throw by dropping a coin in the chute and then lifting up thehandle 20. After the ball is obtained the slide is lowered and is then again in position to receive the ball.

The advantages of my invention result from the lock and coin-release device for the ball, from the blocking of the return-channel arrangement of the lockand coin releasea-nd the other invention.

I elaim parts Without departing from my 1. A bowling-alley having-a olosed return chute for the ball, a slide having a movable chute=p0rtion arranged to per-init access to the hall, a lock arranged to prevent move ment of the slide and a coin-controlled release-for 'the-loek substantially as d'eser-ibedi 21 A. bowling-alleyhayingraiclosed returnehutefor the ball, a sliding block having a chute (DrtdOIr arrangedtolgenmit access to the ba 1 and arranged to close the chute when it is.moveds,,a-loek.arranged to prevent sliding of the block and a coin-controlled release for the lock; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my" hand.

ROBERT H..HARTLEX Witnesses:

J OHN MILLER, H. @onwnv. 

